U.S. patent number 10,254,037 [Application Number 15/464,619] was granted by the patent office on 2019-04-09 for evaporator box fan mounting solution.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Electrolux Home Products, Inc.. The grantee listed for this patent is Electrolux Home Products, Inc.. Invention is credited to Shawn Boiter, Marcelo C. Candeo, Justin Elgin.
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United States Patent |
10,254,037 |
Candeo , et al. |
April 9, 2019 |
Evaporator box fan mounting solution
Abstract
A fan assembly for a refrigeration appliance includes a fan for
circulating air within a compartment of the refrigeration
appliance. The fan includes a frame. A housing is provided for
mounting the fan. The housing includes a plate with an opening
extending through the plate. A plurality of walls extends from a
surface of the plate. A first retaining member extends in a
direction generally parallel to a surface of the plate and is
disposed proximate the opening for hindering movement of the fan in
a direction generally perpendicular to a surface of the plate. The
plurality of walls and the first retaining member define a pocket
for receiving the frame. A vibration damping member is provided for
allowing the fan to vibrate relative to the housing and for
hindering the transmission of vibrations from the fan to the
housing.
Inventors: |
Candeo; Marcelo C. (Anderson,
SC), Boiter; Shawn (Anderson, SC), Elgin; Justin
(Anderson, SC) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Electrolux Home Products, Inc. |
Charlotte |
NC |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
(Charlotte, NC)
|
Family
ID: |
59896964 |
Appl.
No.: |
15/464,619 |
Filed: |
March 21, 2017 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20170276421 A1 |
Sep 28, 2017 |
|
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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62312718 |
Mar 24, 2016 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D
17/062 (20130101); F04D 29/601 (20130101); F04D
29/668 (20130101); F25D 23/006 (20130101); F04D
19/002 (20130101); F25B 2500/13 (20130101); F25D
2317/0681 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F25D
17/06 (20060101); F04D 29/66 (20060101); F04D
19/00 (20060101); F25D 23/00 (20060101); F04D
29/60 (20060101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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2639532 |
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Sep 2013 |
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EP |
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09310889 |
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Dec 1997 |
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JP |
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2011009784 |
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Jan 2011 |
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WO |
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2011026745 |
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Mar 2011 |
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WO |
|
Primary Examiner: Jones; Melvin
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Pearne & Gordon LLP
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A fan assembly for a refrigeration appliance, the fan assembly
comprising: a fan for circulating air within a compartment of the
refrigeration appliance, the fan including a frame; a housing for
mounting the fan, the housing comprising: a plate with an opening
extending through the plate; a plurality of walls extending from a
surface of the plate; a first retaining member extending in a
direction generally parallel to a surface of the plate and disposed
proximate the opening for hindering movement of the fan in a
direction perpendicular to a surface of the plate; and a second
retaining member wherein one of the first retaining member and the
second retaining member is disposed in the opening in the plate and
the other of the first retaining member and the second retaining
member is attached to one of the plurality of walls, wherein the
plurality of walls and the first retaining member define a pocket
for receiving the frame; and a vibration damping member for
allowing the fan to vibrate relative to the housing and for
hindering transmission of vibrations from the fan to the
housing.
2. The fan assembly according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of
walls includes a horizontal lower wall and two vertical side walls
extending from opposite ends of the horizontal lower wall, upper
ends of the vertical side walls defining an opening for receiving
the fan into the pocket.
3. The fan assembly according to claim 1, wherein the first
retaining member is attached to one of the plurality of walls.
4. The fan assembly according to claim 1, wherein the first
retaining member is fixed relative to one of the plurality of
walls.
5. The fan assembly according to claim 1, wherein the vibration
damping member is a gasket made of a closed-cell foam material.
6. The fan assembly according to claim 1, wherein the fan is
secured in the housing without additional fasteners.
7. The fan assembly according to claim 1, wherein the vibration
damping member is attached to at least one of the frame of the fan
and the housing.
8. The fan assembly according to claim 1, wherein the housing is
mounted to a wall of the compartment of the refrigeration
appliance.
9. The fan assembly according to claim 1, wherein the plate of the
housing is a wall of the compartment of the refrigeration
appliance.
10. A refrigeration appliance for storing articles in a
refrigerated environment, the refrigeration appliance comprising: a
first compartment; an evaporator; and a fan assembly for supplying
cooling air from the evaporator to the first compartment, the fan
assembly comprising: a fan for circulating the cooling air, the fan
including a frame; a housing for mounting the fan, the housing
comprising: a plate with an opening extending through the plate; a
plurality of walls extending from a surface of the plate; and a
first retaining member extending in a direction generally parallel
to a surface of the plate and disposed proximate the opening for
hindering movement of the fan in a direction generally
perpendicular to a surface of the plate, wherein the plurality of
walls and the first retaining member define a pocket for receiving
the frame; and a vibration damping member for allowing the fan to
vibrate relative to the housing and for hindering transmission of
vibrations from the fan to the housing.
11. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 10, wherein the
plurality of walls includes a horizontal lower wall and two
vertical side walls extending from opposite ends of the horizontal
lower wall, upper ends of the vertical side walls defining an
opening for receiving the fan into the pocket.
12. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 10, wherein the
first retaining member is attached to one of the plurality of
walls.
13. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 10, further
comprising a second retaining member wherein one of the first
retaining member and the second retaining member is disposed in the
opening in the plate and the other of the first retaining member
and the second retaining member is attached to one of the plurality
of walls.
14. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 10, wherein the
first retaining member is fixed relative to one of the plurality of
walls.
15. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 10, wherein the
vibration damping member is a gasket made of a closed-cell foam
material.
16. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 10, wherein the
fan is secured in the housing without additional fasteners.
17. The fan assembly according to claim 10, wherein the vibration
damping member is attached to at least one of the frame of the fan
and the housing.
18. The fan assembly according to claim 10, wherein the housing is
mounted to the first compartment.
19. The fan assembly according to claim 10, wherein the plate of
the housing is a wall of the first compartment.
Description
FIELD OF INVENTION
The following description relates generally to a refrigeration
appliance, and more specifically to a mounting solution for an
evaporator box fan in a compartment of a refrigeration
appliance.
BACKGROUND
Conventional refrigeration appliances include an evaporator fan in
a compartment of the appliance for conveying air over an
evaporator. Due to the cooling requirements of the appliance, the
evaporator fan typically runs for long periods of time, and, in
some cases, continuously. Fasteners, such as screws, bolts, etc.
are sometimes used to mount the evaporator fan proximate to the
evaporator. In some instances, the evaporator fan is mounted in a
bracket and placed near the evaporator.
The mounting method used with the evaporator fan often causes
undesirable vibration and noise during operation. In instances
where the refrigeration appliance is a domestic refrigerator, the
noise and vibration can be annoying to consumers and/or give the
consumer the impression that the refrigeration appliance is poorly
designed and/or poorly manufactured.
It is desirable to have a mounting solution that secures the
evaporation fan proximate the evaporator in a manner that reduces
the transmission of vibration and noise.
SUMMARY
There is provided a fan assembly for a refrigeration appliance that
includes a fan for circulating air within a compartment of the
refrigeration appliance. The fan includes a frame. A housing is
provided for mounting the fan. The housing includes a plate with an
opening extending through the plate. A plurality of walls extends
from a surface of the plate. A first retaining member extends in a
direction generally parallel to a surface of the plate and is
disposed proximate the opening for hindering movement of the fan in
a direction generally perpendicular to a surface of the plate. The
plurality of walls and the first retaining member define a pocket
for receiving the frame. A vibration damping member is provided for
allowing the fan to vibrate relative to the housing and for
hindering the transmission of vibrations from the fan to the
housing.
In accordance with another aspect, there is provided a
refrigeration appliance for storing articles in a refrigerated
environment. The refrigeration appliance includes a first
compartment and an evaporator. A fan assembly is provided for
supplying cooling air from the evaporator to the first compartment.
The fan assembly includes a fan for circulating the cooling air.
The fan includes a frame. A housing is provided for mounting the
fan. The housing includes a plate with an opening extending through
the plate. A plurality of walls extends from a surface of the
plate. A first retaining member extends in a direction generally
parallel to a surface of the plate and is disposed proximate the
opening for preventing movement of the fan in a direction generally
perpendicular to a surface of the plate. The plurality of walls and
the first retaining member define a pocket for receiving the frame.
A vibration damping member is provided for allowing the fan to
vibrate relative to the housing and for hindering the transmission
of vibrations from the fan to the housing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a top mount refrigerator showing an
evaporator assembly mounted in a back wall of a freezer
compartment;
FIG. 2 is a partially sectioned front plan view of the evaporator
assembly of FIG. 1 showing an evaporator fan assembly mounted in an
upper part of the evaporator assembly;
FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the evaporator fan assembly
of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the evaporator fan assembly of
FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is an exploded rear perspective view of the evaporator fan
assembly of FIG. 2; and
FIG. 6 is an exploded rear perspective view of a frame of the
evaporator fan assembly of FIG. 2 showing an alternative embodiment
of the frame.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a refrigeration
appliance in the form of a domestic refrigerator, indicated
generally at 10. Although the detailed description that follows
concerns a domestic refrigerator 10, the refrigeration appliance
can be embodied by refrigeration appliances other than with a
domestic refrigerator 10. Further, an embodiment is described in
detail below, and shown in the figures as a top-mount configuration
of a refrigerator 10, including a fresh food compartment 14
disposed vertically below a freezer compartment 12. However, the
refrigerator 10 can have any desired configuration including a
French door bottom mount refrigerator wherein the freezer
compartment is disposed vertically below the fresh food
compartment.
While the present application is described herein by way of
attaching a fan mounting assembly to an example refrigeration
appliance, it is contemplated that the described mounting assembly
could also be used in various other appliances, such as stoves,
microwaves, stand-alone refrigerators, or freezers, as well as
other configurations of combined refrigerator/freezers, air
conditioners, and/or any electronic equipment that uses a fan to
provide cooling air.
A door 16 is pivotally coupled to a cabinet 19 of the refrigerator
10 to restrict and grant access to the fresh food compartment 14.
The door 16 can include a single door that spans the entire lateral
distance across the entrance to the fresh food compartment 14, or
can include a pair of French-type doors (not shown) that
collectively span the entire lateral distance of the entrance to
the fresh food compartment 14 to enclose the fresh food compartment
14.
A second door 18 is pivotally coupled to the cabinet 19 of the
refrigerator 10 to restrict and grant access to the freezer
compartment 12. The door 18 can include a single door that spans
the entire lateral distance across the entrance to the freezer
compartment 12, or can include a pull-out drawer (not shown) or a
pair of French-type doors (not shown).
The refrigerator 10 includes a cabinet shell 22 defined at least in
part by first and second upstanding side panels that are
interconnected and laterally spaced by a top panel. The cabinet
shell 22 can also include a rear panel and an internal reinforcing
structure (not shown). A liner 32 inside the cabinet shell 22 can
define the fresh food compartment 14 and the freezer compartment
12. Foam insulation can be used between the cabinet shell 22 and
the liner 32. Since the refrigerator 10 represents a top mount-type
refrigerator, a divider portion 34 is provided which extends
laterally across shell 22 and divides the fresh food compartment 14
from the freezer compartment 12. Alternatively, the divider portion
34 can divide the refrigerator 10 into an upper fresh food
compartment, and a lower freezer compartment.
A cooling system of a refrigerator typically includes a compressor,
a condenser, an evaporator and an expansion valve connected in
series. The compressor, the condenser and the expansion valve are
well known in the art and are not described in detail in the
present application. The cooling system is charged with a
refrigerant to draw heat from the freezer compartment 12 and
release heat to a surrounding environment.
While the present application is described herein by way of
attaching a fan mounting assembly proximate the evaporator of a
refrigeration appliance, it is contemplated that the described
mounting assembly could also be used in mounting the fan mounting
assembly proximate a condenser. The condenser can be disposed in or
on the refrigerator appliance, e.g., in a machine compartment such
that the fan conveys air over the condenser.
Referring now to FIG. 2, an evaporator 38 is disposed in a rear of
the freezer compartment 12 to draw heat from the freezer
compartment 12.
Referring to FIG. 1, the freezer compartment 12 has a rear wall 24.
In one embodiment, an evaporator coil cover 42 is spaced from the
rear wall 24. The evaporator coil cover 42 can be coupled to the
rear wall 24 by any suitable mechanical (e.g., screws, rivets, nuts
and bolts, etc.), chemical (e.g., adhesive, epoxy, etc.), or other
type of fasteners. Referring to FIG. 2, ventilation slots 44 may be
provided in a lower portion of the evaporator coil cover 42 to
allow a circulation of air pulled by a fan assembly 50 through the
evaporator 38. A fan opening 46 is formed in the evaporator coil
cover 42. In the embodiment shown, the fan opening 46 is disposed
in an upper portion of the cover 42. An air tower (not shown) may
be attached to the lower center area of the evaporator coil cover
42 with a surface facing the interior of the freezer compartment.
It is contemplated that the evaporator coil cover 42 can be located
inside the fresh food compartment 14.
The fan assembly 50 is disposed in registry with the fan opening 46
in the evaporator coil cover 42. Referring now to FIG. 5, the fan
assembly 50 includes, in general, a housing 62 and a cooling fan
102.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a cover 52 of the fan assembly 50 is
attached to a front surface of the evaporator coil cover 42. The
cover 52 includes a plurality of openings 54 for allowing air to
pass through the cover 52. In the embodiment shown, the plurality
of openings 54 are vertical slots that are disposed on either side
of a convex feature 56 formed in a central portion of the cover 52.
It is contemplated that the plurality of openings 54 can also be
formed as one or more grated openings formed in the cover 52. It is
contemplated that the cover 52 can be made from plastic to provide
an aesthetically pleasing appearance to a user. The cover 52 may be
attached to the evaporator coil cover 42 by any suitable mechanical
fasteners 58, such as screws, rivets, nuts, and bolts, for example.
Alternatively, the cover 52 may be attached by any suitable
chemical fasteners, such as adhesive, epoxy, or other type of
fasteners, for example.
Referring now to FIG. 5, the housing 62 includes a plate 64 having
an opening 66 extending through a central portion of the plate 64
from a front surface 64a to a rear surface 64b of the plate 64. In
the embodiment shown (see FIG. 3), the opening 66 is generally
square in shape and is dimensioned to correspond with the size of
the cooling fan 102, described in detail below.
A plurality of bosses 68 extend from the rear surface 64b of the
plate 64. A plurality of holes 67 extend through the plate 64 and
are positioned and dimensioned to align with the plurality of
bosses 68. The plurality of holes 67 and the plurality of bosses 68
are dimensioned and positioned to align with the mounting holes in
the cover 52, as described in detail below.
Referring to FIG. 4, two opposing side walls 74a and a bottom wall
74b extend from the rear surface 64b of the plate 64 for receiving
the cooling fan 102. It is contemplated that the side walls 74a and
the bottom wall 74b can be disposed at approximately 90 degrees to
the rear surface 64b of the plate 64. Referring now to FIG. 5, the
opposing side walls 74a define an opening 76 in an upper portion of
the housing 62. The opening 76 is dimensioned as described in
detail below. In the embodiment shown, retaining members extend
inwardly from the opposing side walls 74a and the bottom wall 74b.
The retaining member can be a brace 75. The braces 75 can be formed
as triangular braces with one curved side. It is contemplated that
the braces 75 can extend from corners where the opposing side walls
74a and the bottom wall 74b meet or the braces 75 can be formed at
the upper end of one or both of the opposing side walls 74a.
It is also contemplated that the housing 62 can include a top wall
(not shown) and one of the opposing side walls 74a can be
eliminated to define an opening. The cooling fan 102 can then be
inserted into the housing 62 through the side of the housing 62.
Referring to FIG. 6, it is further contemplated that in this
embodiment the retaining members are movable braces 75a and can be
separate parts that are secured to the housing 62 by fasteners 63.
The movable braces 75a can be rotated or removed to allow the
cooling fan 102 to be inserted through a rear opening of the
housing 62. The movable braces 75a can then be rotated or
reattached to secure the cooling fan 102 in the housing 62.
Referring now to FIG. 5, additional retaining members are formed in
the opening 66 in the plate 64. In the embodiment shown, the
additional retaining members are tabs 77 that are disposed in
diagonally opposite corners of the opening 66. The tabs 77 include
a rear surface 77a that faces the pocket defined by the opposing
side walls 74a, the bottom wall 74b and the braces 75. The rear
surface 77a of the tabs 77 are slightly offset from the front
surface 64a of the plate 64 toward the rear surface 64b of the
plate 64. The tabs 77 are dimensioned as described in detail below.
The opposing side walls 74a, the bottom wall 74b, the braces 75 and
the tabs 77 define a pocket that is dimensioned to accommodate the
cooling fan 102, as described in detail below.
A notch 79 is formed in a corner defined by one of the opposing
side walls 74a and the bottom wall 74b. The notch 79 defines an
opening that is dimensioned and positioned as described in detail
below.
L-shaped tabs 78 extend from the rear surface 64b of the plate 64.
The L-shaped tabs 78 can be used for positioning the housing 62 in
the proper position relative to the evaporator coil cover 42 and/or
the rear wall 24, as described in detail below.
A flange 82 extends from the rear surface 64b of the plate 64 at a
location spaced from the upper edge of the plate 64. The flange 82
is contoured to match the shape of the upper edge of the plate 64.
The flange 82 is dimensioned to define a mounting location for an
elongated gasket 92.
It is contemplated that the housing 62 can be integrally formed as
a monolithic structure through insert molding, for example. It is
further contemplated that the housing 62 can be formed of a rigid,
semi-rigid, semi-flexible, or flexible plastic material (e.g., an
injection molded plastic), such as a thermoplastic polymer like
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), for example. As a result,
the housing 62 may deform, as needed, to provide a loose fit around
the cooling fan 102, as described in detail below.
The elongated gasket 92 has a generally square cross section (when
viewed from the end) and is contoured to generally match the
contour of the upper edge of the plate 64. The gasket 92 has a
lower surface that rests on the flange 82. As shown in FIGS. 3 and
4, the gasket 92 has a height that is greater than the distance
between the upper edge of the plate 64 and the flange 82. As shown
in FIGS. 3 and 4, the height of the gasket 92 can be selected such
that a portion of the gasket 92 extends beyond the upper edge of
the plate 64 when the gasket 92 is seated on the flange 82. The
gasket 92 can be made of a foam material or any other material
suitable for sealing a gap between two surfaces. It is contemplated
that the gasket 92 can be overmolded into the plate 64 to reduce
the number of parts required during assembly. It is also
contemplated that the gasket 92 can be applied to the flange 82 as
a fluidic material that is cured or hardened prior to final
assembly.
Referring to FIG. 3, a U-shaped gasket 94 is disposed on the front
surface 64a of the plate 64. In the embodiment shown, the gasket 94
has a rectangular-shaped cross section (when viewed from the end).
Similar to the gasket 92, the gasket 94 can be made of a foam
material or any other material suitable for sealing a gap between
two surfaces. It is contemplated that the gasket 94 can be inserted
into one or more slots or holes (not shown) in the front surface
64a to secure the gasket 94 to the plate 64. It is also
contemplated that an adhesive (not shown) can be used to attach the
gasket 94 to the plate 64. It is also contemplated that the gasket
94 can be applied to the plate 64 as a fluidic material that is
cured or hardened prior to final assembly.
Referring to FIG. 5, the cooling fan 102 is disposed within the
pocket defined on the rear surface 64b of the plate 64. The cooling
fan 102 includes a motor 104 that rotates a plurality of fan blades
106. A frame 108 is disposed around the motor 104 and the plurality
of fan blades 106. In the embodiment shown, the cooling fan 102 is
a generally square-shaped box fan. A plurality of wires 112
connects the motor 104 to source of power. A connector 114 (FIG. 4)
can be connected to the end of the plurality of wires 112 for
allowing quick connection to a mating plug (not shown).
A vibration damping member is providing for allowing the cooling
fan 102 to vibrate relative to the housing 62. The vibration
damping member can be a gasket 122, i.e., a separate component,
that is disposed around the side walls of the frame 108. In the
embodiment shown, the gasket 122 is a square frame-shaped component
having sides with square-shaped cross sections. It is contemplated
that the gasket 122 can be formed as a single component or a
plurality of components that are attached together. It is further
contemplated that the gasket 122 can be attached to the frame 108
using an adhesive or other attachment means. It is also
contemplated that the gasket 122 can be formed as part of the
housing 62 or the frame 108 of the cooling fan 102. For example,
the gasket 122 can be overmolded into the housing 62 or onto the
frame 108. It is also contemplated that the vibration damping
member can be a vibration damping material, for example, but not
limited to, a coating, a multi-layer material or an expandable foam
type material that is applied to at least one of the housing 62 and
frame 108 of the cooling fan 102.
It is also contemplated that the gasket 122 can be made of foam
fabricated from damping/absorption/isolation materials, such as
closed-cell foam materials like EPDM (ethylene propylene diene
terpolymer), Ensolite EFO, polyethylene, cellular glass,
closed-cell phenolic, flexible elastomeric, polyisocyurante, and
polystyrene, for example.
Referring to FIG. 4, in this embodiment the vibration damping
member is the gasket 122 that is dimensioned to fit around the side
walls of the frame 108 to secure the gasket 122 to the frame 108
while still allow the frame 108 to vibrate, as described in detail
below. The gasket 122 and the cooling fan 102 are then inserted
into the opening 76 in the housing 62. In particular, the gasket
122 and the cooling fan 102 are received into the pocket defined by
the opposing side walls 74a, the bottom wall 74b, the tabs 77 (FIG.
3) and the braces 75. The opposing side walls 74a and the bottom
wall 74b are dimensioned to hold the gasket 122 and the cooling fan
102. It is contemplated that the retaining members, e.g., braces
75, removable braces 75a and tabs 77 can extend in a direction
generally parallel to the surface of the plate 64, i.e., not
necessarily exactly parallel, but sufficiently parallel to retain
the frame 108 and hinder the cooling fan 102 from moving in a
direction perpendicular to the plate 64, i.e., movement including a
vector component perpendicular to the plate 64. In the embodiment
shown, the rear surfaces 77a of the tabs 77 (FIGS. 3 and 5) and the
braces 75 are disposed on opposite sides of the gasket 122 and the
cooling fan 102 and are configured to retain the frame 108 and
hinder the aforementioned movement of the cooling fan 102.
It is contemplated that when the fan 102 is inserted into the
pocket of the housing 62 that the tabs 77 (FIG. 3) may slightly
flex to allow the gasket 122 and the cooling fan 102 to be properly
positioned in the pocket. Once the gasket 122 and the cooling fan
102 are fully seated in the pocket the tabs 77 can snap back to
their resting configuration.
The gasket 122 is dimensioned such that there is little or no
contact between the cooling fan 102 and any portion of the housing
62. In this respect, the gasket 122 allows the cooling fan 102 to
"float" relative to the housing 62. The gasket 122 also is designed
to dampen the transmission of vibration and sound from the cooling
fan 102 to the housing 62. The gasket 122 may be formed with
various thicknesses. However, test results performed by the
inventors demonstrate that a thick gasket provides better noise and
vibration dampening than a thinner foam gasket.
When the cooling fan 102 is fully seated in the housing 62, the
wires 112 from the cooling fan 102 extend through the opening
defined by the notch 79. The cooling fan 102 is also positioned to
be in registry with the opening 66 in the housing 62. The opening
66 allows the flow of air from the cooling fan 102 into the
compartment. Thus, the opening 66 functions as an outlet opening
for the air flow circulated by the cooling fan 102.
As described in detail above, the fan 102 is secured to the housing
62 without additional fasteners, which further reduces the noise
typically caused by metal fasteners, such as screws, bolts, and
nuts, for example. This no-fastener configuration also allows fast
and easy assembly by simply dropping or sliding the fan 102 through
the opening 76 to the pocket in the housing 62.
Referring to FIG. 2, the fan assembly 50 is then attached to the
evaporator coil cover 42. In particular, the gasket 94 on the front
surface 64a of the plate 64 of the housing 62 abuts against the
back surface of the evaporator coil cover 42 to sealingly connect
the fan assembly 50 to the evaporator coil cover 42. The gasket 94
also functions as a vibration damper to dampen the transmission of
vibration and sound from the housing 62 to the evaporator coil
cover 42.
The rear surface 64b of the plate 64 may include various features,
e.g., tabs 78 (FIG. 4) for coupling the fan assembly 50 to the rear
wall 24 of compartment 12 and/or to the evaporator coil cover 42.
These features can be formed as internally-threaded posts, arms, or
brackets, for example, which may cooperate with mating features in
the rear wall 24 and/or the evaporator coil cover 42.
In the embodiment shown, the housing 62 includes a plate 64 that is
positioned next to the evaporator coil cover 42. It is contemplated
that the two opposing side walls 74a and the bottom wall 74b of the
housing 62 can extend from the rear wall 24 of the compartment 12
or from the rear surface of the evaporator coil cover 42. In these
embodiments, the rear wall 24 of the compartment 12 or the
evaporator coil cover 42 would replace the plate 64.
Referring now to FIG. 1, the cover 52 of the fan assembly 50 is
then secured to the housing 62 using fasteners 58. The fasteners 58
extend through the holes in the cover 52 and the holes 67 in the
housing 62 into the bosses 68. In the embodiment shown, the
fasteners 58 are screws that thread into the bosses 68 to secure
the cover 52 to the housing 62.
As shown in FIG. 2, when the fan assembly 50 is secured to the
evaporator coil cover 42, the gasket 92 and the gasket 122 contact
surfaces within the compartment 12. The gaskets 92, 122 function to
form a seal and to dampen the transmission of vibration and sound
from the fan assembly 50 to the surrounding compartment 12.
Many other example embodiments can be provided through various
combinations of the above described features. Although the
embodiments described hereinabove use specific examples and
alternatives, it will be understood by those skilled in the art
that various additional alternatives may be used and equivalents
may be substituted for elements and/or steps described herein,
without necessarily deviating from the intended scope of the
application. Modifications may be desirable to adapt the
embodiments to a particular situation or to particular needs
without departing from the intended scope of the application. It is
intended that the application not be limited to the particular
example implementations and example embodiments described herein,
but that the claims be given their broadest reasonable
interpretation to cover all novel and non-obvious embodiments,
literal or equivalent, disclosed or not, covered thereby.
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